China maintains ban on shellfish imports

Business and government officials involved in the lucrative
geoduck export market got some bad news on Friday, when federal
authorities released a letter they had received from the Chinese
government.

Kitsap Sun
photo

The letter raises many questions — at least from a Chinese
perspective — about how the U.S. regulatory system protects public
health. The message from Chinese health authorities dashes the
hopes of industry officials for a quick lifting of the Chinese ban
on shellfish imports from the U.S. West Coast.

Washington state has a proud reputation for protecting public
health when it comes to shellfish, and the letter from China does
little to dispel suspicions among those who think that China may
have ulterior motives. After all, Chinese authorities have done
nothing to limit the geographic scope of the import ban or even
limit the ban to geoducks only.

A
statement (PDF 114 kb) from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration concludes that the letter contains about
20 separate requests for information about testing and safety.

“We don’t not have a full understanding of the US regulatory
system including the definition of sea region and management, the
official monitoring on PSP and heavy metals and the responsibility
among the relevant government agencies, and we have not conducted
an on-site evaluation neither.”

The letter says the suspension of imports may be reduced to a
specific area after certain questions are answered. It calls on the
U.S. to develop an action plan for evaluation and outlines a review
process, including a visit by an “expert team” from China to
evaluate the geoduck inspection programs.

Officials at all levels in the U.S. say they are evaluating the
questions posed in the letter and preparing a coordinated
response.